AG, CS differ on missing persons' account

ISLAMABAD Attorney General for Pakistan (AGP) Wednesday sought more time to deliberate on the report submitted by the Chief Secretary Punjab regarding allegedly kidnapping of prisoners, released by the LHC, by the agencies from Adiala Jail. A three-member bench of the apex court comprising Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhary, Justice Tariq Pervaiz and Justice Ghulam Rabbani was hearing the case of missing persons from Adiala Jail after their release. Chief Secretary Punjab Nasir Mehmood Khosa informed the court that he stands by whatever has been written in the Daily Situation Report (DSR), prepared by the special branch, as it was based on facts and they have evidence. The Chief Justice asked the Attorney General Maulvi Anwar-ul-Haq to read the report in order to give his view. The AGP contradicted the report, saying the persons kidnapped from Adiala Jail were not in the agencies custody. Before the interval the Chief Justice asked Maulvi and Khosa to sit down to sort out the matter and come up with clear-cut answer. After the break the AGP informed the court, I had discussed the issue with the chief secretary and wanted to know what was happening because in the police and army uniform miscreants had entered the GHQ and police training institution. He said he wanted to discuss the issue with the relevant quarters further as they (agencies officials) would themselves look into the matter and requested the court to give some time and the court adjourned the hearing till tomorrow (November 12). The Chief Justice observed if it was proven that the persons are in the agencies custody then the concerned officials would have to face the music. He without taking the name of concerned officials asked the attorney general, If they are doing right thing then they dont need to be afraid, adding: We are not afraid of anyone. The Chief Justice said: We now have material in black and white before us therefore nothing can be hidden. He asked the attorney general what would happen if the Punjab chief secretary would himself tell that missing persons were in the custody of agencies. If during the cross-examination anything comes out in this connection then the whole world would see, he said. Justice Tariq questioned that the ordinary persons could not enter into the jail then how the prisoners were taken away from outside the Adiala Jail. He said the jail authorities even maintain the record of judges visits. It is relevant to mention here that the jail authorities had allegedly handed over 11 persons - who were acquitted due to lack of evidence regarding their involvement in five cases including attack on plane of Gen (Retd) Pervez Musharraf, attacks on Kamra and Hamza Camps, General Headquarters (GHQ) and allegation for having suicidal jackets. The Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) had acquitted Syed Arab, Gulraiz, Hussainullah Jan and Abdul Rashid allegedly involved in Kamra suicide attacks on April 28. The same court also acquitted Dr Muhammad Niaz, Shafiqur Rehman, Abdul Majid, Mazharul Haq, Abdul Saboor, Muhammad Aamir and Abdul Basit on May 8 in Hamza Camp and GHQ attacks cases. Besides their release from the jail, DCO Imdadullah Bosal passed an order and subsequently on the expiry of that order another order was issued by the then Home Secretary Nadeem Hassan Asif. Both the orders were challenged in the Lahore High Court, Rawalpindi Bench, which had declared the orders unlawful and beyond jurisdiction. The LHC also issued an order for the registration of criminal cases against the Superintendent and Deputy Superintendent of Adiala Jail for not releasing the persons. During the proceedings Punjab Home Secretary Shahid Khan, Inspector General of Police Tariq Saleem Dogar, and District Coordination Officer Imamdadullah Bosal were also present in the courtroom. The court granting time to attorney general to deliberate upon the chief secretary Punjab report adjourned the hearing till tomorrow (November 12).